IWC announces commitment o french filmmaking
The Festival du Film Francophone will be held for the eighth time in the French city of Angoulême from 25 to 30 August 2015 and celebrates the diversity and rich legacy of French filmmaking. Under the chairmanship of Jean-Hugues Anglade, the jury will be handing out the “Valois” award in a total of eight categories. IWC Schaffhausen awards the “Valois IWC du Réalisateur” (best director award), and the winner receives an exclusive IWC watch.
The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s passion for filmmaking has taken it all over the globe. As an official partner, IWC Schaffhausen already supports international film festivals in Beijing, New York, Zurich, London and Dubai. With its latest involvement in the Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême, IWC pays tribute to the importance of French-speaking cinema. “Art, emotion, passion and craftsmanship are the elements that will always link haute horlogerie timepieces and the world of filmmaking,” explains IWC CEO Georges Kern. “Every watch tells a story about its provenance, culture and tradition. Superficially, its job is to tell us the time, but the message it emits goes far beyond that. It is an individual means of expression, a work of art that moves us. The interplay of its many parts reminds us of the way actors, producers and the people behind the camera painstakingly assemble a cinematic work scene by scene.”
IWC HANDS OUT BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Since its founding in 2008, the Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême has established itself as a unique celebration of cinema from French-speaking countries. Although still relatively young, the festival is an important platform for budding talent and has established a place for itself among actors, producers, directors and cinema lovers as one of the industry’s more important events. For the eighth time, from 25 to 30 August 2015, the festival will present an exclusive series of films shot in French. After a rigorous selection process, ten films from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Switzerland, Africa and the Middle East remain in the running for one of the coveted “Valois” – the awards presented, among other things, to the best film, the best director, best actress and best actor. The jury is made up of high-calibre personalities from the world of cinema. This year, a jury under the chairmanship of Jean-Hugues Anglade will be among those selecting the winners. As part of the closing ceremony for the “Valois IWC du Réalisateur” to honour the best director on 30 August 2015, IWC Schaffhausen will also present the winner with an exclusive IWC watch and host a dinner under the motto “Pour l’amour du cinéma”.
HOLLYWOOD STARS TAKE TO THE STAGE FOR IWC
“We’ve been closely involved with filmmaking and the film industry for years now,” says Georges Kern, “and maintain close relations with internationally acclaimed actors andactresses. Our aim is not to use their talent for advertising purposes, but rather to create joint projects with them that put the spotlight on our watches.” No less a personality than John Malkovich recently took part in a short film to relaunch the Pilot’s Watches. The spotlight was on Jean Reno for the launch of the revised Portugieser line while Kevin Spacey took the lead role in a theatre piece about the Da Vinci watch family written especially for IWC. Cate Blanchett was not only present at the launch of the IWC Vintage Collection, but has also taken part in films and photo shoots with star photographer Peter Lindbergh in Portofino. Accompanying her were fellow actors Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz and Zhou Xun. Apart from this, watches from IWC have been favourite accessories in countless Hollywood movies and US TV series.
